Social Business The Balancing Act Between Head and Heart

[Applause]

if you would have told me that one day i

would be paying ex-prostitutes a salary

every month

i would have told you that is

unimaginable

well

hopefully in about 15 minutes from now

you will be thinking of employing one

too

what do you see

a bag

if you look closer you’ll see the

material it’s made of

if you’re a kite surfer you’ll even

recognize the material

you might see the label

and then

probably go looking for the price tag

then you may immediately come up with a

conclusion

we often

judge people and things by their outward

appearance

we also often label people by their

behavior and characteristics

just like the guy who labeled me

at a christmas market in a small town in

switzerland

i was 10 years old

and i was roaming around that said

christmas market with my sister speaking

in english thinking out loud how

expensive everything was

when suddenly a really rude merchant

interrupted us

he spoke in swiss german to my sister

and asked her who i was

and why my sister kept translating to me

he then concluded that

if

we really did have the same father

then my father must have had several

women in his life

i wanted to strangle the man

labels end up conveying something

absolute

and it’s time to get rid of them

that guy made me so mad

i believe we all have a righteous anger

that drives us or propels us into our

purpose

by that i don’t mean getting upset about

everyday things

we’re all annoyed about slow speed

internet but somebody already responded

to that all we have to do is install it

but there won’t always be someone else

to resolve that

which offends our minds and disturbs our

hearts

it’s a matter of what we do with what

we’ve been given

to take on

what

triggers our uncontainable discontent

when i first heard about the rampant

crime of human trafficking in 2008

my righteous anger was sparked off for

real

didn’t we get rid of slavery in the 18th

century

the buying and selling of human beings

the numbers figures and statistics had

passed me by

i was deeply disturbed

how

how did i know not know about this

it was not until i came

face to face with a victim in downtown

zurich that these figures suddenly

revealed

a face

and a name

that day

i had my six-week-old daughter in my

arms and i was walking down the streets

to a meeting

at a street work organization in

downtown zurich

totally unexpectedly

a woman crossed the road

pointed to my newborn

and asked if she could kiss her

this wasn’t exactly the woman that you

would like to have kiss your newborn

baby girl

alcohol was heavy on her breath

her lips were swollen and smeared with

bright red lipstick

my head said no but my heart immediately

said yes

she bent down to touch her lips on my

daughter’s pure soft cheeks

and said

crying

i have three children of my own and i do

not know where they are

this woman not only left a mark on my

daughter’s cheeks

she left a mark on my heart

there was no way i could stand on the

sidelines any longer

i felt so helpless but my mind was

reeling

you really have to own an injustice to

eradicate it

with anything in life actually

you must own it

to get rid of it

when injustice takes over

ownership drives the change for justice

it suddenly dawned on me that there was

more to this form of modern day slavery

i was responsible for some of it too

not in the sex industry but in the food

fashion toy and gadget industry

i was a victim of trends for myself and

for my kids and i had bought into the

lie that

if i was paying too much it was

definitely

overpriced i bought stuff off the

internet

not thinking

who made it

and where was it sourced were these

people treated fairly paid fairly

i bragged on my latest bargain

dismissing the fact that

if it’s cheap for me

someone else is paying the price

not everyone has a choice

like you and i have

the more i got involved in uncovering

the crime of human trafficking and

exploitation the more i got the facts

if these women and men really did have a

choice

they wouldn’t choose to have other human

beings rule over their body treating

them like trash

and stripping them daily of their human

rights

so what choices do these people really

have

and what could i do to give them a real

choice

the ones i have

like from the simple question of

what do i want to eat today

to

the more complex one of

what do i want to be one day

in the sex industry

every single sex worker i encountered

wanted out

in the words of a victim we don’t need

pity

we need jobs

but who was giving these people jobs

who was creating jobs for these

individuals who had nothing to write in

their cv but prostitute

in discussing all these questions with

my husband and a handful of trusted

people

the idea of a social business was born

and eventually

our social enterprise kite pride was

established in tel aviv israel

to offer employment

training and empowerment to exactly

these people

pride exists to restore the purpose of

those who have never really been given a

chance to succeed in life

in a safe work environment

survivors of forced prostitution and

human trafficking are offered a real

choice

we train them

and equip them

for a brighter future

we upcycle kite surfing sales yacht

cells parachutes and turn them into

beautiful handmade unique one-of-a-kind

bags

our employees come with their own rich

story of

triumph

power

trauma

and complexities

what they’ve had to endure in their life

affects productivity

efficiency

economic sustainability

and stability as an employee

which obviously no startup can afford or

wants to risk going for

so how did we do it

or better said

how are we doing it

because to tell you the truth

i’m still figuring out many of the

answers as i’m learning but by doing

we all fail

but as long as we fail forward

we’re moving in the right direction

like many other startups

there was a idea

a business plan

a team and funding

unlike many other startups

kite pride had no investor

we had donors

we fundraised

because

our company was more of a social cause

to donate to than a business promising

profit

chi pride exists

to be a catalyst for change and the

future dream job of our employees

figuratively speaking

we give them a landing place

allow them to unload

refuel and take off

i’d like to break it down for you what

it means

to employ people with a traumatic past

what they need in a first work

environment

first of all they need a safe

place

you need to sit down with them

and work out an individual work contract

tailored to their ability

they also need

defined goals

to achieve in a set time frame

they need clear rules and boundaries

and they also need a close coach to work

with on the job

kite pride has done very well to be a

safe place

however

there is room for us to grow in pushing

those babies baby birds out of the nest

to truly see them fly

we don’t do them a favor

by excusing no shows at work with no

further consequence

they’re not sick

they may have a bad day

but that doesn’t give them permission to

hide

they don’t need pity

they need jobs

and they need to be treated like any

other team player

one of our employees

who felt like

we weren’t doing that very well said to

me

you make me feel like a victim all over

again

your kindness and your lack of

discipline make me feel like i am less

than

you don’t need to feel sorry for me

i want this job and i want to succeed

but one company alone

can’t employ them all

we need many more enterprises

to open their doors

to create at least one more job

for someone who yes

may not have the perfect cv

but given the nurturing environment

will soon have that complete cv to

present to their next employer

let’s take the example of a health

research company in israel

they became part of the solution after

they learned

who we were and what chi pride was all

about

they gifted their their employees

with unique one-of-a-kind bags made by

kite pride

and not only that

after hearing ari’s story

offered her a job in their nurturing

work environment

ari

grew up in a very abusive home in

jerusalem

she ran away when she was 12 and

survived on the streets as a male

prostitute

now

at the age of 22

she finally found a place that believes

in her more than she believes in herself

all ari needed

was an opportunity

to heal

and prove herself

kai pride has helped more than 35

individuals along the way

but we know we can do better

my desire is to inspire people and

businesses to live and act with purpose

to unlock second chances

your next talent

might be an ex-prostitute

drop the label

see the person

see the potential

so this bag

what you see now

behind every product

an active service

all over the world

there is a person

you can become part of a story

i invite you to join a radical

revolution of justice and freedom for

all

because you have a choice

and you can give him or her one too

you really can